Founder
Laurie Attwood
Entrepreneur. NLP facilitator. Mother of three.
Where it started
2008. A stage in England.
Laurie stood on a stage at Jamie Smart's NLP training and delivered a segment called 'Manifest Your Dreams.' Her kids were 3, 5, and 7. She had no business plan. She had a tool that changed people — and she knew it.
The years between
She didn't wait for the right moment. She built toward it.
For nearly two decades, Laurie worked in personal development, built businesses, and held a quiet vision: a place where young people could come and leave with something real. Not a course. Not a certificate. A business.
She invested in an island in the Outer Banks. She studied under Tony Robbins. She watched the world change — and watched her own three children grow up inside that change.
The reason
Those three kids grew up.
The 3, 5, and 7-year-olds from 2008 are young adults now. They lived through Covid. Laurie watched the lockdowns take their sense of direction. She watched the job market fail them. She watched the cost of living make the future feel out of reach.
She didn't start UpStars because she saw a market opportunity. She started it because she watched her own kids lose their footing — and she had the tools to help them find it again.
"I didn't start UpStars because I saw a market opportunity. I started it because I watched my own kids lose their footing — and I knew I had the tools to help them find it again. That's every parent's story right now. And it's personal."
Background
NLP facilitator — trained under Jamie Smart, 2008
Tony Robbins Business Mastery, 2026
Nearly 20 years in personal development and business building
Founder of UpStars
Mother of three young adults
Registration opens October 1, 2027.
Spots are limited. The island can only hold so many people — and that's the point.